Christmas Time Get Away in Pilsen, Czech Republic

12/26/14
Day 1:
After a couple amazing days celebrating Christmas Eve and Christmas with friends, we thought a quick get away for us to reconnect before the next couple months was in order.  Jack will be very busy in the next couple months and we won't see much of each other so this was a much needed date weekend.  Pilsen, Czech Republic is only an hour and a half away so it's close and that makes for a very nice drive.  We dropped our Killian pup off at our good friends Elaine and Tony's and headed to Czech!

Hotel Gondola and Wellness

A typical room at the Gondola

Jack thought he had gotten us a package for the famous Beer Spa in Pilsen where you get into a wooden bathtub full of hot beer and drink as much Pilsen as you like.  The website was pretty confusing though and he actually got us a package deal for the wellness center instead, which actually turned out wonderfully.  

When we first got to the hotel the receptionist was extremely pleasant and very helpful. We got to our room and noticed it had a huge bed for a European hotel, fresh flowers in our room and a lovely assortment of fresh fruit. The only draw back was the bed did feel like it was a block of card board. The sheets were clean and comfortable and the comforters were super warm which made the room extra cozy. Since it was the day after Christmas, the hotel restaurant wasn't open, the town was kind of empty and it was beginning to snow so it wasn't terribly conducive to walking around so we found a little pub and had a super cheap but very tasty meal.  We found the U Mansfelda right across from the hotel so we didn't have to walk far, which was good because it had just started snowing.  They had super yummy potato pancakes and good boar goulash with dumplings...and of course good beer!

We got some pictures of the area around out hotel on our way back.  They had massive koi in a pond, bigger than I have ever actually seen before.  When I said I wished I had something to feed the fish, Jack responded with, "Um, I think they have eaten enough..."  :)  They also had some interesting art.

I wish I could show you to scale how big this monster was!

They even had monster albino Koi!

Jack trying not to be cold as the snow was coming down

The pond full of massive Koi

Strange colorful art in front of the hotel

Cool but weird art in Pilsen

There were still blooms on the plants!

When it was our time to use the wellness center, we got the entire place to ourselves. They had put out strawberries and had complimentary champagne for us, along with fluffy robes and plenty of towels. We had the place to ourselves for two whole hours. 

The whirlpool at the wellness center

This shows the wellness center with all it's amenities!

The large cold shower and sauna room

The sauna in the wellness center

12/27/14
Day 2:
The next day, they had an adequate, typical European breakfast with assorted meats, cheeses, eggs, and yogurt with fresh squeezed juices and coffee. 

The hotel had a nice, cozy restaurant

At our allotted time, we went to a designated room and were supposed to have an hour long massage. Unfortunately, the masseuse was a gentleman who did not speak English at all so Mike passed on the massage and I ended up having a two hour one, which was so nice but a bit strange to have a male...

We had decided earlier that the bed was too uncomfortable to sleep on (considering we only live an hour and a half away) and when we asked if we could turn our dinner reservations into lunch reservations, they did it without any hassle and without hesitation. The meal was completely filling and very tasty. When we checked out, they allowed us to have a late checkout without charging us extra and did not charge us for the night we did not stay there. In addition to all this, I got to take the large bouquet of flowers home with me. 

As Americans, our idea of what a "Spa" weekend is very pampered and luxurious. That is not how Europeans necessarily see it, it is more about health and wellness rather than over the top pampering, once you can get digest that and adjust your expectations, you can really enjoy the experience and appreciate a little gem like the Gondola! We will definitely go back...even if we don't stay more than one night! :)